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Love of the Common People
]] "Love of the Common People" is a folk ballad written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins,http://www.45cat.com/record/p5819 eventually released in 1970 on John Hurley's album John Hurley Sings about People,John Hurley Sings about People, John Hurley, with Ronnie Wilkins. RCA Records LSP-4355, 1970 but first sung in January 1967 by The Four Preps. It had been covered by The Everly Brothers, country singers Waylon Jennings and Lynn Anderson, Pennsylvania Sixpence and also Wayne Newton, all in 1967, The Simple Image, Leonard Nimoy, reggae singer Eric Donaldson and the Gosdin Brothers in 1968, Elton John and also soul group The Winstons, both in 1969, John Denver on his 1969 album Rhymes & Reasons, Sandy Posey in 1970, the same year that reggae singer Nicky Thomas had a big hit in Europe with the song, and pedal steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow in 1979. It was also a hit in Ireland for showband star Joe Dolan. Wanda Jackson covered the song in 1971, as did Stiff Little Fingers and English pop singer Paul Young, both in 1982. In 2007 Bruce Springsteen covered it as part of his Seeger Sessions tour, releasing a live version of it as a bonus track on his Live in Dublin album. Lyrics The lyrics tell a bleak story of poverty and unemployment. There is a mention of "free food tickets," a reference to government food stamp and welfare programs, in the very first line, and the lyrics also describe the subject family as having holes in their clothes and their shoes. The last verse, however, is more optimistic, as it essentially advises the subject family to keep their faith strong and to maintain hope for improvement. Nicky Thomas version Nicky Thomas recorded a Joe Gibbs-produced reggae version of the song in 1970, which sold over 175,000 copies in the United Kingdom and reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart. Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 292 It was Thomas's largest selling single, and, according to Steve Leggett of Allmusic, "practically defines the term 'pop reggae.'Leggett, Steve "[ Love of the Common People: The Best of Nicky Thomas Review], Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation, retrieved 6 December 2009 Paul Young version }} In 1982 Paul Young released his interpretation of "Love of the Common People" as a single, but it, initially, failed to chart. It was only when Young had his first hit in 1983 with "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" and the single was re-released that it became a big hit. The single peaked at #2 in the UK, and reached the number one spot in Ireland and the Netherlands. This version also contained a solo by influential ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez. On Stiff Little Fingers's re-mastered Now Then... album, there is an interview with Jake Burns where he re-calls Paul Young met Stiff Little Fingers at one of their concerts in Dunstable in support of the album in which Young asked Burns whether Stiff Little Fingers were planning to release the song as a single. When Burns told them that they were not, Young asked if they minded him releasing it as a single. They said he could, not thinking the single would do well. Burns then says jokingly in the interview, "Pfft! Go ahead. You'll never get anywhere with that, mate. Yeah, number 2, that'll teach me!" Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts See also *BRT Top 30 number-one hits of 1984 *List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1984 *List of number-one singles of 1983 (Ireland) *List of number-one hits of 1984 (Italy) – | after = "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen }} – | after = "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen }} – | after = "Only You" by The Flying Pickets }} – | after = "Jump" by Van Halen }} References External links * Category:Country ballads Category:Rhythm and blues ballads Category:Pop ballads Category:Political songs Category:Protest songs Category:Waylon Jennings songs Category:Paul Young songs Category:John Denver songs Category:Bruce Springsteen songs Category:1982 singles Category:1983 singles Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Category:Songs about poverty Category:1967 songs